Data Modules
Table of Contents
#1 - What is Research Data?
#2 - Planning for Your Data Use
#3 - Finding & Collecting Data
#4 - Keeping Your Data Organized
#5 - Intellectual Property & Ethics
#6 - Storage, Backup, & Security
#7 - Documentation
Module created by Aaron Albertson, Beth Hillemann, & Ron Joslin.
Create file and folder names that fit your organization structure and clearly identify their content. Here are three rules to follow when naming files and folders:
Include a readme.txt file in the documentation folder that explains your naming convention along with any abbreviations or codes you have used.
FILE SORTING
The file naming convention you adopt will affect the order files are displayed when sorting. For example, adding leading zeros will enable you to sort your files in sequential order. If you have 10-99 files, use a single leading 0 for your single digit numbers (01, 02, etc.). Dates in file names can also lead to issues if not formatted correctly. A good format for date designations is YYYYMMDD. This format makes sure all of your files stay in chronological order.
AVOID SPACES AND SPECIAL CHARACTERS
Spaces and special characters such as $,%,&,#,<,> are not allowed by some software packages. If needed, use underscore ( _ ) in the place of a space as a connector between elements in your file names. Capitalizing the first letter of file name elements is another way to be clear while avoiding spaces.
USING PERSONAL NAMES
Don't name a file after yourself. When you are using names, list the family name first, followed by initials: SmithJR_transcript.rtf.
Tools for renaming many files at once:
Situations where batch renaming may be useful include when images from a digital camera are automatically assigned base filenames consisting of sequential numbers and where proprietary software or instrumentation generate default filenames.